Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the context of married women who reach state pension age prior to 6th April 2016, whether it is his Department's policy for a woman who draws a category A state pension prior to her husband reaching pension age and who is widowed after her husband reaches pension age and draws his pension should be automatically assessed at the point of being widowed for a backdated category BL pension in the case where her category A pension is lower than the Category BL rate; and whether a woman over pension age with no entitlement to a category A state pension, and who is widowed after her husband reaches pension age and draws his pension should automatically be assessed at the point of being widowed for a deferred Category BL pension, with her date of claim treated as the date when her late husband first drew his pension.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
For married women who reach State Pension age prior to 6th April 2016 the Department’s policy is as follows.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an alternative disputes resolution process for people affected by changes in state pension age for women.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The equalisation of State Pension age has been the policy of successive governments dating back to 1995.
The Ombudsman’s investigation is ongoing and section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”. This is a multi-staged process, and the Ombudsman has not given his final findings on the investigation. We are cooperating with the Ombudsman’s investigation.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January to Question 117888 on State Retirement Pensions: Females, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Knowsley, Dr Scutt and a representative group of women affected by state pension changes to discuss the matter of settlements.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has not completed his investigation into communication of changes to women’s state pension. It would be inappropriate to discuss this matter whilst it is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.
The Department is cooperating fully with the PHSO in their investigation.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a comparative assessment of the number and proportion of women affected by the increase in state pension age for women born in the 1950s who died before receiving their state pension (a) between1948 and 31 December 2015 and (b) since 31 December 2015; and whether there are statistically significant differences in those mortality rates.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
We have not undertaken the requested analysis and therefore do not hold the information you have requested.
Asked by: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of the women born in the 1950s affected by the increase in state pension age have died before reaching their state pension age since 31 December 2015.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
We have not undertaken the requested analysis and therefore do not hold the information you have requested.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to provide support to women who have been affected by changes in the state pension age.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Government decided over 25 years ago that it was going to make the State Pension age the same for men and women. Had the State Pension age not been equalised, women who would be retiring today upon reaching the age of 60, would be expected to spend (on average) over 40% of their adult lives in receipt of State Pension.
The Government is providing over £20m for a new enhanced offer through our 50+ Choices programme to support people aged 50 and over to remain in and return to work.
We are also committed to providing a financial safety net for those who need it, including when they near or reach retirement through the welfare benefits system
In addition, the Government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. To ensure stability and certainty for households, in the Autumn Statement the Government has announced £26bn in cost of living support for 2023/24. This includes Cost of Living Payments for the most vulnerable households, an additional £1 billion, including Barnett impact, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in the next financial year. In England this will be delivered through an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842 million and the amended Energy Price Guarantee which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.
The Government's Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £900 this winter, based on what energy prices would have been under the current price cap - reducing bills by roughly a third. This is in addition to the £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme.
Pensioners who are entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2022 to 2023, have received an extra payment of £300 per household paid with their normal payment. We estimate around 8.7 million pensioner households across the UK have received an increased Winter Fuel Payment. Households with someone of State Pension age received £500 and households with someone aged 80 or over received £600.
This increased Winter Fuel Payment has been paid on top of any other one-off support a pensioner household is entitled to, for example where they are on Pension Credit or receive eligible disability benefits. The Government committed at the Autumn Statement on 17 November 2022 to a further pensioner cost of living payment of £300 per household to be paid in winter 2023/24.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women in (a) St Helens and (b) Merseyside are claiming a state pension.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In the quarter ending May 2022 the State Pension caseload for women in the St. Helen’s Local Authority was 19,161.
In the quarter ending May 2022 the State Pension caseload for women in Merseyside was 140,772.
The table below shows the State Pension caseload for women in the Local Authorities of Merseyside in the quarter ending May 2022.
Local Authorities of Merseyside | Number of Females |
Knowsley | 13,576 |
Liverpool | 37,976 |
Sefton | 33,531 |
St. Helens | 19,161 |
Wirral | 36,528 |
Total Merseyside | 140,772 |
Source: DWP benefits statistics: November 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2023 to Question 117888 on State Retirement Pensions: Females, if he will make on assessment of the impact for his policies of the tribunal report by Dr Joceylynne Scutt published on 13 July 2022.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
There are no plans for an assessment to be made.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of women who were affected by the decision to increase the state pension age for women from 60 to 65 in the London Borough of Hounslow.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Datasets can be found here: Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics (nomisweb.co.uk)
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the financial impact of the decision to change the state pension age on women aged between 60 and 65 in the London Borough of Hounslow.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Successive governments have given due consideration to the financial impact of the proposals made in the Pensions Acts of 1995, 2007, 2011 and 2014, that introduced changes to the State Pension age. These assessments have been published.